A COVID-era visa that allowed more than 20,000 international students to work an unlimited amount of hours is being phased out, the federal government has said.
Existing visa holders will remain lawful until their current visa expires, with the ability to extend it for another six months at a cost of $405.
But from February 2024, the visa will be closed to all applicants as it will be completely scrapped.
The program was established in 2020 to support international students who were trapped in Australia during the pandemic, and to fill labour shortages due to international border closures.
According to the latest figures from Home Affairs, more than 17,000 students were granted a 408 visa in 2022, compared to around 3,000 students in 2021.
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